


Making Up for Lost Time

by FoxPhile



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Family, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 04:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7830370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxPhile/pseuds/FoxPhile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waige Future Fic.  Walter and Paige are married and working to get back to their normal lives after a significant event</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own . This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.

# Chapter 1

_“You can't make up for lost time. You can only do better in the future.” ~ Ashley Ormon_

* * *

Walter walked in the door of the condo – he still thought of it as Paige’s even though they’d been living there together since they got married several months before. It didn’t take long after he declared his love for Paige that Walter realized marriage was part of the endgame of a relationship for her. Although his own relationship with his parents was not a close one, he knew theirs was a solid marriage built on respect and a real caring for the other person’s needs. He had no issues with getting married, although he didn’t really understand why a ceremony and a piece of paper could have such meaning. He knew he loved Paige now more than he had believed possible on the day he first said “I love you”, but that had nothing to do with their wedding. 

It had everything to do with the sight that greeted him as he passed through the foyer into the living room. Paige was sitting in the old fashioned rocker she’d found at an antique shop in Pasadena. They had it restored and fitted with new cushions that made it both beautiful and comfortable. Walter tried it out a few times but in reality, it belonged to Paige and the tiny bundle she was holding to her breast as she rocked. 

It was a curious, but eminently efficient design. The three rocker legs ensured that it was sturdy, and the small bassinet-like extension, outfitted with a tiny cushion of its own, allowed a sleeping child to be set down while the mother – or father – kept rocking, but was then freed of holding the child. At the moment, however, Paige was holding and nursing their six-week old daughter, the child eagerly sucking. Walter noticed that she was also apparently beating on his wife’s chest with her tiny fists. Small as the baby was, that looked like it must be uncomfortable, particularly as he knew Paige’s breasts were uncommonly sensitive. 

“Does that …. hurt… when she does that? Shouldn’t you stop her?”

Paige looked up and smiled distractedly. She got into a zone while breastfeeding that Walter found both curious and a bit disheartening. He knew it was a bonding time for mother and baby, but it was disconcerting realizing how excluded he was from that bond. He knew Paige didn’t do it on purpose, but it was there, just the same. This was an experience he could never have, never truly share, and it bothered him. 

“She’s just upset that this one’s all out,” Paige explained, gently stroking the child’s cheek to get her to release. She opened the other side of her pajama top and shifted the baby to the other breast, guiding her small mouth to the startlingly pronounced nipple. “She’s probably full, so she won’t actually take much from this one. But she falls asleep easier if she’s actually getting something than if she’s sucking on nothing.”

Walter sat down on the couch opposite from Paige, still fascinated by the process, despite having watched its evolution over the past few weeks. That one breast full was not quite enough to satisfy his offspring was a new development. Sure enough, the baby latched on greedily, sucked a few times, then slacked off, obviously dozing. She woke and suckled listlessly twice more, then released entirely and relaxed in Paige’s arms, sated and sleeping.

Paige eased the baby down into the side car, as Ralph called it, and continued to rock, leaning back and refastening the buttons of her top. 

“How was your appointment? I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you.”

“It’s all right,” she answered, yawning. “Cabe’s as much a part of this family as anyone. It was important for one of us to make sure he’s okay. I was so relieved when you called to say it was just a mild attack. What’s his prognosis?”

“They’ve got several tests planned, and they may still consider bypass surgery, if they find significant blockages. But the doctor said it’s likely they may get by with just a stent to open up the arteries if they are only partially blocked. They’ll need to reevaluate his blood pressure treatment, and probably put him on a diet.”

“That he won’t follow…”

Walter nodded. Cabe Gallo was a man who would live on his own terms and that included not always taking care of his own health. 

“How is Cabe doing, though?”

Walter knew Paige was asking about their friend’s emotional state. It wasn’t something he felt qualified to assess. He thought for a moment on the past few hours spent waiting and worrying at the hospital until Cabe was wheeled from the emergency room into a private room where he would stay for the next day or two to be more thoroughly evaluated. The older man was understandably exhausted, but a few things he said made Walter realize his spirit was undaunted. He thought sharing one of those might provide the reassurance Paige needed.

“He joked that the attack was probably from the shock of seeing me not only married, but with a kid of my own. He said he never thought he’d live to see the day and he almost didn’t.”

Paige covered her mouth, unable to avoid the snort that escaped. Glancing over at the sleeping baby, she patted her back gently, ensuring that the sudden noise hadn’t disturbed the child. 

“Sorry, I probably should have saved that until after Amanda was back in the nursery.”

“It’s okay. No harm done. She seems to sleep a lot more soundly lately. She slept all the way home in the car, despite the traffic noises, and didn’t even wake up when I brought her inside. Of course, the minute I decided to lie down for a nap, she was wide awake again and demanding attention.”

“I know you feel pretty strongly about breastfeeding, but don’t you think we should reconsider doing some bottle feeding? I could take on some of the night feedings and you could get a decent night’s sleep.”

Paige nodded. “I think you might be right. I hardly got to breastfeed Ralph at all, since I had to go to work almost right way. Diners are no place for a small baby, and I would not have wanted to breastfeed him in the filthy restrooms in some of the places I worked. So I really wanted to breastfeed Amanda as much as possible. I talked to Doctor Whitley about it this morning and she agreed – she was surprised I’d been able to keep up with the feedings this long. She had me talk to the lactation counselor and I started this afternoon banking some of the extra milk. There’s a pamphlet on the kitchen table about it. You should probably read it so you know how to warm the milk.”

“I’ll be sure to read it tonight. What… what else did the doctor say? Are you… is everything all right?”

Paige had experienced a good deal of pain after the delivery – much more so than she had with Ralph. Amanda was larger and weighed at more at birth than Ralph, and Paige’s doctor assured her that the increased discomfort was simply the difference between expelling a watermelon versus a honeydew. The pain had eased and then disappeared after several days, but it still concerned both of them. Walter in particular was distressed at everything Paige had experienced during and after the pregnancy – and he blamed himself for all of it. 

Before they had sex for the first time, they’d discussed it. Paige told Walter that she was on the pill and had been for years, so pregnancy wasn’t something they needed to worry about. Apparently, Paige was one of the one in a thousand women who got pregnant anyway. In hindsight, Walter thought he should have used a condom anyway. After all, neither of them were virgins and there was the unlikely chance of STIs to be considered also. 

It wasn’t that he regretted Amanda’s existence, far from it. He couldn’t imagine a life without his latest love in it. But had he been aware of the weeks of sickness, backaches, and the ultimate pain of delivery and its after effects, he might have been more cautious. 

“Everything’s fine, Walter. Doctor Whitley says I’ve healed well and she’s pleased with how well I’ve done getting my figure back. She’s a lot happier with that than I am, frankly. By this time after Ralph was born I still had a little poof in the front but that was all. Right now I still feel like I’m about six months pregnant. The doctor keeps reminding me that this is number two and I’m a lot older. Geez, thanks!”

Walter wasn’t a complete fool. He was actually concerned that Paige might be overdoing the exercise in an attempt to regain her pre-pregnancy body, but he wouldn’t comment on it unless it got really out of hand. “You’re being really great about watching your diet and exercising and you’ve… well everything except your breasts, and I’m not complaining… but the rest of you has shrunk quite a bit. I’m sure that will keep going. I also read that breastfeeding helps with the weight loss since it uses up a good deal of calories. As long as you’re careful not to overdue the dieting and make sure you get enough nourishment to support yourself and the baby.”

Walter got up and walked into the kitchen. “Speaking of which, have you eaten this evening?” he called, hungry himself after his long day at the hospital. 

“I had a sandwich when I got back, but Amanda’s been a little fussy, so I haven’t had much chance to fix anything for myself since then. I don’t think she likes riding in the car, even though she slept the whole time.”

Walter opened the refrigerator, immediately noticing the single neatly labeled bottle of breast milk on the top shelf. Rummaging through the other contents he found some chicken tenderloins and removed those, along with some fresh vegetables from the crisper. 

“I can grill some chicken and vegetables for us, if that sounds okay?”

“That sounds great,” Paige replied. “I’ll take Amanda back to the nursery. I think she’s out for the count now, or at least for three or four hours.”

Walter turned on the kitchen grill top, thinking he would need to start making changes to the household to ensure that things like the kitchen appliances and cabinets were baby and toddler proof. He knew it would be several months before Amanda would be walking, but also figured that those months would fly. He didn’t want to risk his daughter flipping the knob he just did and becoming fascinated by the resulting flames. The very thought made him shudder. 

It didn’t take long and the meal was ready. Paige returned from the nursery and Walter brought two plates into the living room and handed one to Paige, slipping a bottle of chilled water out of one pocket and handing that to her as well. Another consequence of Paige’s pregnancy had been her absolute intolerance of all but the simplest foods. Their daughter apparently inherited that intolerance, so as long as Paige continued to feed her, they would all live on simply grilled or broiled foods, with minimal seasoning. Walter vividly remembered the last time he’d had fermented fish, as well as Paige’s reaction when she caught a whiff of the pungent stuff on his breath. 

Paige dug into her chicken, making it obvious that her appetite was not a victim to her post-pregnancy issues, even if she rarely had time to accommodate it. 

“Sometimes I don’t realize how starving I am until I have food in front of me,” she commented between bites. “And then I feel like I could eat a horse.”

They ate in silence, both apparently quite hungry. When Paige finished, she set her plate on the table in front of the couch and leaned back, patting her belly appreciatively. 

“Thank you, Walter. You take such good care of me. I don’t know how I would have gotten through these past few months without you.”

“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have had so much to deal with.”

“Walter. We were both there, we both knew this was a possibility, even if we figured we were doing enough to prevent it. It is not your ‘fault’ that I got pregnant. And even if it was, I wouldn’t care. I wouldn’t trade Amanda for any of the stuff I went through. But… let’s try to be more careful in the future, okay? I’m not saying I’ll never want another child, but certainly not for a little while.”

“Deal,” Walter agreed as he stacked Paige’s plate on top of his own and then grabbed the empty water bottles and went into the kitchen. “Before we make love again, I’ll stock up on some extra protection condoms. Should we get you a diaphragm as well?”

Paige laughed. “I’d say there’s such a thing as being too careful, but experience has taught me otherwise. There’s some protection while I’m breastfeeding but it’s hard to know how long that lasts.”

Walter returned and sat back down on the couch, reaching over and gathering Paige in his arms. Their love life for the past several weeks had consisted almost exclusively of brief moments of cuddling whenever Amanda gave them a few minutes off from parenting duties. Walter didn’t mind. He’d been uncomfortable with virtually all forms of touch for most of his life, but holding his wife in his arms was like finding his way back to a home he never realized he missed. 

“About that… there was… one other thing Doctor Whitley told me,” Paige said hesitantly.

Walter stiffened. Between Toby and his own research he knew of dozens of pregnancy, delivery and post-pregnancy complications that could arise. The thought that Paige might suffer any of them – from the mundane to the very serious – troubled him. Paige’s hesitance immediately led him to think that whatever the doctor told her, it must be closer to the serious side. 

“She said we could… go back to having sex… whenever we want.”

* * *

August 20, 2016

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

# Chapter 2

* * *

_“Lost time is never found again.” ~Benjamin Franklin_

* * *

_“She said we could… go back to having sex… whenever we want.”_

Walter felt a little queasy.  He didn’t think that the thought of having sex with Paige made him ill.  Perhaps it was just a reaction to the sudden relief.  He’d been so sure that Paige was about to tell him she had some terrible post-partum complication.  When she instead announced that they could resume having sex it was… anti-climactic in the extreme. 

He wished he still had some water.  It might help to calm his stomach and clear his head.  Due to the varying types of discomfort Paige dealt with throughout her pregnancy, they’d made love only rarely, and not at all in the last four months.  It didn’t really bother Walter.  It’s not like he’d had the opportunity to get used to frequent sex, since the first of Paige’s difficulties began only a few months after they married.  In fact, his memory told him that since the night of his big revelation to her, they’d made love exactly forty-seven times.  He was fairly sure that wasn’t an impressive count for a couple married just a bit less than a year. 

Paige was probably waiting for some sort of celebratory exclamation on his part.  He was pleased, of course.  He could think of few things he enjoyed more – a realization that surprised him when it first came to him after their third encounter.  It happened after the first time they spent a full night together. 

* * *

The first time they made love occurred a few days after Walter told Paige he loved her.  They’d been on their first official date the night before, which ended when Walter took Paige back to her home and walked her to her door, kissing her thoroughly, and somewhat frustratingly, before she actually opened the door to a very inquisitive Ralph and Toby.  Walter had to fend off Toby’s intrusive questions on the entire drive back to his apartment, finally lapsing into old speech patterns from his boyhood and telling his friend to “bugger off”.  The next morning, Paige showed up to the garage earlier than usual and without Ralph, which was also not usual.  Walter, curious about the noise downstairs, came down from his loft wearing nothing but his boxer briefs.  Paige took him back upstairs and, after a brief discussion wherein mutual consent was obtained, she got him out of his boxer briefs.  It might have been nicer had they had more time to enjoy the feelings afterwards, but they’d been obliged to get dressed and get downstairs before any of the rest of the team arrived. 

The second time was after a particularly difficult case.  Toby and Happy were captured and nearly killed by illegal diamond dealers.  When the team got safely back to the garage, Toby and Happy immediately left to deal with their own emotional aftermath, while Cabe grabbed Sly and said they would go pick up Ralph.  Cabe very pointedly indicated that it would be at least an hour before they could get to the sitter’s and back, considering the L.A. rush hour traffic, and that they would probably stop to get some dinner on the way back.  Walter had no idea why the man took such pains to tell them how long a drive it would be, but Paige understood completely. 

A case also led, indirectly, to their third time.  Paige, Walter, Cabe and Sly traveled to Washington, D.C. to consult with the FBI on a computer hacking ring that was invading government systems.  Scorpion was called in because the FBI suspected the ring might include federal employees.  It was an easy case – but explaining the vulnerability that they found in the federal systems had taken long into the evening.  They could have taken a red-eye back to L.A., but after discussing the option with Paige – concerned that she would want to get back to Ralph as soon as possible – she agreed that Ralph would be fine with Toby and Happy overnight and that they could stay the night in D.C. and leave the next morning.  Paige laughingly told Walter, as they cuddled afterwards in the king size bed, that she was glad Cabe wasn’t any more obvious.  When Walter said he didn’t understand, Paige explained that Cabe had gotten her and Walter adjoining rooms, while Cabe and Sly were on a completely different floor of the hotel.  It would only have been more obvious if he’d gotten the pair a single room to share.  Walter looked at her blankly, saying it would have been more efficient – and less expensive – if Cabe had done just that, since Paige’s room was unlikely to be used.  Paige laughed again and proceeded to make even more use of the large and very comfortable bed. 

The next morning, having spent the entire night together, Walter realized just how much happiness it gave him.  Although he still didn’t believe that any part of a human lived on after death, he sent a silent thanks to his sister for encouraging him to open himself to love.  Her video had been only one of the catalysts that got him to this place, but it was a significant one, and something for which he’d be forever grateful.  When Paige woke, they made love again, slowly and sweetly.  Far from being overwhelmed or hesitant, he found the experience gave him a sense of calm that his usually overactive brain rarely allowed.  It was as if for those moments, his IQ brain took a break and allowed his fledgling EQ brain to take over.  Although the feelings before, during and after could be passionate and intense, there was also a sense of rest and peace - and _belonging -_ especially in the aftermath, that felt better than any satisfaction he got from anything else in his life. 

* * *

“Walter?” 

Paige’s voice broke into Walter’s memories.  He could recall and catalog each of their forty-seven times in that manner, but he realized that Paige wanted to discuss number forty-eight. 

“I um… that’s… that’s good,” he said, realizing even as he said it that it wasn’t the reaction she expected.  “I… I mean… are you… are you ready?”

“It’s been a long time, Walter.  I figured you would… would want to, as soon as possible.”

Walter looked at his wife.  There was no question that he wanted this, wanted it as soon as possible.  But he wondered if perhaps Paige was not as enthusiastic.  Just because the doctor said they _could_ , didn’t mean that they _should_. 

“Paige, I wasn’t celibate before I met you – you know that.  But I wasn’t… I didn’t have… I can go for a long time without.”  Walter raked his hands through his hair.   Would he never learn to talk about feelings without making a complete muddle of things?  “I won’t say I haven’t missed being with you… like that… but… what I feel when we make love - it’s a lot more than that.  It’s all tied up in the fact that you enjoy it, too.  So if you’re not ready, then… then I’m not ready, either.”

Paige relaxed visibly.  “To tell you the truth, I’m not,” she sighed.

“Is it because you’re still in pain?” he asked, wondering if Paige was telling him everything the doctor had said.  But if there was something actually wrong, would the doctor have given the go-ahead?

“No, it’s not pain.  It’s… it’s a lot of things.  It’s that I’m so tired I’m afraid I might fall asleep.  It’s that I’m afraid we’ll be half way into it and the baby will start fussing.  It’s that there’s all this flab hanging all over me that I _don’t_ want you to see even if you’ve already seen it all.  It’s that I just… right now the idea of having… of you… of _anything_ … inside… is just… just right _now_ … a little… ick.  I mean, do you have any idea how many times I’ve had a speculum up my yahoo in the last nine months?”

Walter’s eyes widened.  Paige didn’t often express herself so… so _coarsely_.  It was obvious this disturbed her greatly. 

“I need some time, Walter, to get back to thinking of my private parts as private.  Something I’m sharing just with you and not with every man and woman in the greater L.A. area that has a pair of gloves.”

It was then that Paige began to cry.  They’d known each other for just shy of three years, but Walter had never seen her like this.  _He_ was the one who broke down when emotions got to be too much for him.  Paige always knew how to handle everything.  How was he supposed to deal with this? 

Remembering what Paige did when he finally broke down over his sister’s death, Walter gathered her closer to him, wrapped his arms tightly around her and eased her head onto his shoulder.  He knew Paige had whispered to him during that long-ago episode, but despite his photographic memory, he couldn’t recall what she said.  He supposed it was because _what_ she said didn’t really matter.  It was the fact that she was there, that she made him feel like he wasn’t alone in his grief.  He knew this situation was very different… but yet not so very different. 

“Shhhhhh…. Shhhhhh,” he whispered, stroking her back.  “You can have all the time you need, sweetheart.   You’ve given me everything, I don’t need or _want_ you to give me something you can’t or don’t want to give.  It’s okay…. It’s okay.  You’ll be just fine.”

Paige clung to him for several minutes, crying and sniffling.  He passed her tissues and continued to hold her until her sobs quietened.  Then he took her to the bathroom, helped her to wash her face, and took her into their bedroom where he helped her into bed, promising to take care of anything Amanda needed for the rest of the evening.  Walter determined to read the pamphlet on bottle feeding as soon as Paige was asleep.  He didn’t know if there was enough milk on hand yet for a feeding, but if there was, he’d be sure that Paige got to sleep through the baby’s next feeding.  Since she was eating every three or four hours now, he couldn’t completely spare Paige from being awakened, but at least he could give his wife an uninterrupted few hours. It was the least he could do. 

* * *

Paige noticed a distinct difference in Walter in the next few days.  He’d always been helpful and considerate.  Truthfully, he was much more considerate than she ever expected him to be.  Going into this relationship, Paige assumed that Walter would be challenging simply because he was so often baffled by things most people knew practically by instinct.  She also worried that he might eventually become disinterested, since she couldn’t hope to engage that brain of his.  She still worried about the second part, but had come to realize that Walter did have an ability to empathize that defied his stated claims to being emotionless.  If anything, she wondered if the very intensity of his emotions were what caused him to spend much of his life denying their existence. 

Since her breakdown, he’d been almost _too_ solicitous.  It took a few days before they had enough milk banked that Walter could do both of Amanda’s overnight feedings, but the first morning when Paige realized she’d gone to sleep at nine and not woken until the next morning just before six, she could have kissed him, had she not realized he was sound asleep. 

She found out that Walter turned down a couple of cases that would have taken him out of town.  He didn’t stay late at the garage anymore, either, unless it was absolutely necessary for a case.  Several mornings she woke up to find him folding laundry before he left, and he frequently cooked their evening meal, or brought something healthy from Kovelsky’s.  As her boss, he was also granting her extended, paid maternity leave.  Some days, when Amanda was particularly fussy, Paige wasn’t entirely sure if that was such a great help, but she appreciated it nonetheless. 

Caring for a tiny baby was still a drain on her – one that Walter could only partly relieve, no matter how much he tried.   But with his help, Paige felt her energy levels returning, her spirits rising, and with them, her libido. 

Walter, unfortunately, was oblivious to this. 

In the morning, Paige had to feed Amanda as soon as she woke up.  Often, Walter was already awake and taking care of housework as well as getting Ralph ready for school.  He would sometimes come and join her while she fed the baby, sitting on the bed and allowing her to lean back against his chest.  He told her that, although the bottle feeding allowed him to feel some sense of the bond she had, holding his family while the baby fed actually gave him an even better sense of that bond.  He mused that it was some residual caveman instinct to protect them, but he didn’t care.  Once the baby was fed, Paige would take her back to the nursery and by the time she was finished, Walter would be dressed and ready to go to work. 

She couldn’t quite imagine having sex with her husband while her son waited in the living room with his backpack, anyway.

In the evening, Walter and Ralph usually got home around the time of Amanda’s evening feed, and Paige was too tired to imagine having sex.  Ralph would do his homework while Paige finished the feeding and Walter started dinner.  Then she or Walter or both of them would take the baby to the nursery.  Walter apparently drafted Ralph into his plan, because between the two of them she was barely allowed to lift a finger for those two or three hours each evening. 

After dinner, they would relax for a short time before Walter took Paige to bed.  He would leave her there to fall asleep while he and Ralph cleaned the kitchen.  Again, Paige couldn’t bring herself to have sex while Ralph played video games.  She was fairly sure Walter waited up for the ten o’clock feeding before he joined her.  It didn’t matter much, she was usually dead asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. 

Paige was not normally a woman who was reluctant to simply come out and say what she wanted.  But having told Walter that she basically was repulsed by the idea, she didn’t know quite how to tell him that had changed.  Even if she found a way to make her desires clear, she might still have to deal with interruptions and her ever-present, if somewhat diminished exhaustion.  She might have to engage the help of a few co-conspirators. 

* * *

“So let me get this straight.  You need my help to seduce your husband.”

Paige nodded.  “That’s basically it, in a nutshell.  He’s convinced I want nothing to do with him… at least not in bed, anyway.  You know that once Walter gets an idea in his head you can’t pry it out with a crowbar – not even you.”

“Don’t think I haven’t tried.”

Paige laughed.  “So will you help me, Happy?  You and Toby are about the only people I trust right now to do this.”

The mechanic put down her herbal tea and leaned back.  Her baby bump was just barely noticeable, but Paige realized she must already be wearing maternity jeans and just letting her shirt cover the stretch panel. 

“It’ll be good practice for me and the Doc,” Happy acknowledged, “taking care of a baby for the night.  I can’t wait to see him try diapering.  As fumble fingered as he is it’s a good thing no one uses those old fashioned pins any more.  But Walt’s pretty strict on getting home on time every night these days.  I don’t know what you did to him, but when five o’clock hits, he’s out of the garage like a rocket.  I’m not sure how we’re supposed to detour him to a hotel.”

“You won’t, Toby will,” Paige explained.  “I’ll tell Walter I have an appointment in the afternoon and that I’ll pick up Ralph from school.  You’ll leave early in the afternoon, telling Walter you have an appointment.  But you go home instead and I bring Ralph and the baby over.  With you gone, Toby will tell Walter that he’s having a hard time with the thought of being a father and he needs someone to talk to.  He’ll ask to go to the hotel bar because he doesn’t want Sly or Cabe to overhear.  Once Toby gets him to the hotel, I’ll be waiting in the bar.  Trust me, from there I’ll get Walter up to the room.  Are you sure you can deal with Ralph and Amanda for a couple of hours by yourself?”

Happy snorted.  “One of my foster families had 3 babies at the same time while I was there.  Trust me, dealing with just one will be a breeze.  But if Toby runs screaming after this, I’m holding you responsible.”

* * *

Paige waited in the bar, sitting on a stool and sipping her sparkling water.  Just trying to get ready to go out, with a ten week old baby in the house, was dicey.  But for once, her daughter cooperated.  Amanda slept soundly through most of the day and when she wasn’t sleeping, she was happily playing in her crib, batting at the mobile that twirled just out of her reach. 

She thought about putting her hair up, but realized it didn’t make sense to go through that much trouble.  If her plan succeeded, her hair would soon be splayed wildly across a hotel pillow.  She could say much the same about her clothes, but that was different.  She wore a flirty little black skirt that she thought Walter liked, and that disguised what was left of her post-baby pooch.  She paired the skirt with a flowing blouse that also hid her faults, while exposing her assets, giving the illusion that her enhanced cleavage just might spill out if she moved carelessly. 

Turning just enough to see the lobby entrance, she noticed Toby and Walter moving in to the bar.  As instructed, Toby led Walter to sit in one of the padded booths.  They ordered drinks and Toby began to talk animatedly.  Paige had to hand it to the behaviorist, he was putting on quite the performance.  He gesticulated, shook his head, and even dropped his face into his hands at one point.  After a few minutes of this, Toby got up and headed for the men’s room.  On his way, he caught Paige’s eye, gave her a discreet thumbs up and a wink.  Paige slid off her stool, noting as she did so that Walter glanced at his watch. 

She skirted the dim outer edges of the bar so that she could make her way up behind where her husband was sitting.  It was important to her that the surprise be complete.  Walter’s focus alternated between his watch, and the hallway down which Toby had disappeared. 

“Hey mister,” she said in her best imitation husky voice, “can I interest you in a good time tonight?”

“Thank you, but I’m happily mar….”

* * *

August 20, 2016   

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

# Chapter 3

_“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.” ~Harvey MacKay_

* * *

_“Thank you, but I’m happily mar….”_

Walter nearly choked. “PAIGE? Wha… what are you doing here?”

“Some time ago you asked me if I was ready,” Paige said, her hand reaching over to idly finger the curls that Walter had allowed to grow once again. “I quite obviously wasn’t at the time. But I’m ready now, Walter. I’ve been trying to figure out the where and the when, but between Ralph and the baby and everything, it didn’t seem possible, no matter how ready I was. And believe me, Walter O’Brien, I am so… _so_ ready.”

“But… but Toby?”

“Don’t worry. Happy and Toby are taking care of Amanda and Ralph so that you and I can have a night to get to know each other again. By morning, Toby will know _ALL_ he needs to know about being a father. I only hope _he’s_ ready!” she chuckled. 

“Are you o… okay… with…. with them taking care of Amanda?”

“I love my daughter… and my son… more than anything in this life, Walter. But I love you, too. It’s long past time we remember that part of being married, don’t you think?”

Walter nodded and Paige smiled. It had been amazingly easy. She only wished she thought of this idea earlier. Walter got up from the table, quickly taking out his wallet and laying down a twenty dollar bill. She took his hand and led him out of the bar. When he was about to turn towards the parking lot, she pulled him in the direction of the elevators instead. 

“Aren’t we going home?” he asked. 

“I thought we could do with a change of scenery. Even if I know Amanda isn’t there, I’m afraid being at home, I’ll be just waiting for her to start crying.” The elevator arrived and Paige steered Walter inside, then punched the button for the fifth floor. “I can’t guarantee that won’t happen here, but I’m hoping that being away from home, it will be less likely. Toby tells me that’s actually a valid thing. People who want to change a habit are told to change the environment where the habit takes place. I know responding to my baby is more than just a habit, but I’m hoping the idea will still work.”

“That… that makes sense,” Walter said as the elevator doors opened again. 

“This is our floor,” Paige said and stepped out. Walter followed and she reached into her small clutch and brought out a key card. She walked a few steps down the hall to room 522 where she opened the door and led the way inside. 

Once in the room, Paige set down her clutch and kicked off her shoes. She hadn’t worn heels that high in months and she’d been terrified of stumbling and making a fool of herself. But now she could relax a bit. She would keep up the play of seducing her husband, because it was fun and exciting. But breaking a leg in the process – or even dealing with sore, pinched feet – wasn’t in the program. Glancing around the room, she noted that everything she’d requested was set up, so she went to the door, hung the Do Not Disturb sign on the outside and deftly locked them in. 

“So um… uh… what did you want to do… um… here?”

Walter was sitting on the end of the bed and looking nervously around the room. If Paige didn’t know better, she would think they were back to that first time in his loft. He’d been endearingly nervous. Certainly, it had been a long time, but they had made love dozens of times. Surely he couldn’t be _that_ nervous about it now. Why would he be so… reticent?”

“I thought I made that pretty clear, Walter; unless… unless you don’t… don’t want to?”

Paige wondered if her worst fears were true. Was Walter already tired of her? She knew he cared for her, he certainly took great care of her – and of Amanda and Ralph. But had his love somehow changed so that it was more a love of obligation and less of passion?

Walter rose and walked up to her, placing his hands lightly on either side of her waist. “I want to, Paige. I just don’t want you to think you have to do this for me. I know how you feel about it, and I don’t want to… to push you. I can wait.”

“Push me?? Push me???” Paige set her hands on his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes, wishing she’d kept her heels on for just a few more minutes. She strained to reach his lips, which was nearly impossible when he would not bend to meet her. Finally, he got the idea and met her lips with his, wrapping his arms around her in a way she remembered from before her belly began to grow. It wasn’t that he didn’t hold her and kiss her while she was pregnant, but he’d been so cautious, so afraid of hurting her. Now his hold tightened, and he lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on as their mouths opened and their tongues tangled and the heat between them rose to a fever in just those few seconds. It _had_ been awhile. Paige recognized the tingling feeling that Walter’s kisses caused. It started somewhere around her heart and shot straight down through her belly to the area that had been the crux of so much discomfort just a few weeks before but now felt like the center of everything amazing. 

He was about to ease her back down on the floor, but Paige wanted none of that. Using muscles gained from weeks of crunches and an elliptical machine, she brought her legs up to wrap around him. 

“Bed,” she moaned, abandoning his lips to playfully nip his jawline and then kiss her way down one side of his neck.

Walter spun, and Paige was afraid for a moment that he might drop her. He made it over to the bed, where the cover was turned down invitingly and rose petals were scattered across the sheets. Walter swept them aside and laid her down. She reached behind herself and unfastened the button and zipper of her skirt. As she scooted up to the head of the bed, she wiggled out of the skirt. Walter immediately put his own hands to his belt and unfastened it, then unbuttoned his slacks and tried to kick them off. His shoes got in the way, so he toed them off, then finished the job with his pants, leaving them puddled on the floor at the side of the bed. Crawling up beside her, he placed a hand on her belly as he leaned up to resume kissing her. 

For a moment, Paige stiffened. Her belly still wasn’t the taut, flat plane that she’d had the first time they’d done this. Walter had made love to her even when she was several months pregnant, but now she thought he might be expecting the figure she’d had when they first became lovers. She didn’t know if she would ever get that figure back. 

“You’re more beautiful now than you’ve ever been,” he whispered, stroking her. He drew back and Paige looked up into his eyes. 

“I love science,” he continued. “You know that. One of the most amazing things in science is the ability of the female body to grow to nurture another human being. Do you really think it bothers me to see… or to feel… the fact that your body grew to nurture our daughter? Paige, I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than every mark and every bit of evidence that Amanda was here.” He gently rubbed his hand in a circular motion around her naval. 

Paige felt as though she would start crying again. The only thing that stopped her was the knowledge that Walter might misinterpret it. Instead, she reached up and brought his face down to hers, meeting him for another searing kiss, all concerns about her body or his thoughts about it out of her head. 

She needed him naked… now. She tried to loosen his tie with one hand, but it didn’t work so she brought her other hand down from where she’d been holding the back of his neck. Before long she managed to get the tie loose and tossed it away. Then she tackled his shirt buttons. Meanwhile, Walter was working his way up and underneath her bra. She’d made sure to empty her breasts before coming to the hotel, so they weren’t terribly sensitive, but she still sucked in a breath at his touch. He immediately stopped. 

“Is this… is this okay?” he asked. 

“Maybe if we get the bra off. And no squeezing, okay?”

He nodded, then rolled over on his back, bringing her with him so that he could reach around her back and undo the hooks of her bra. Paige sighed with relief. She was wearing one of her pre-pregnancy sexy bras, and it had been a mistake. She stopped working on Walter’s buttons and moved instead to do her own. Then she sat up and brought both blouse and bra over her head.

“Your turn,” she said, looking down. 

Walter sat up and finished undoing his shirt buttons, quickly shrugging out of the garment. Then he reached over and wrapped his hand around the back of her head, brought her close and resumed kissing her. This time, his kiss was soft and gentle. He parted his lips, and she did the same, their tongues teasing each other. Then Paige felt Walter’s hand lightly touch her breast. She was conscious of the touch, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “I think you can do more than that. Just… like I said… no squeezing.”

Walter nodded and cupped his hand over her breast, gently stroking and circling with his fingers but not exerting any pressure. He brought his thumb up and lightly touched her nipple. She moaned to let him know that it actually felt good and he circled the nipple, stroked it and even gave it little flicks. The flicks sent bolts of desire straight down to her naval and she cried out. But apparently Walter knew the difference between a cry of pain and one of passion because he immediately moved to work similar magic on her other breast. 

He was becoming truly bold now. He looked up at her, and Paige could see the smoldering desire in his eyes. 

“Promise you’ll let me know if anything is uncomfortable,” he said. Then he was kissing his way down her neck, over her collar bone and down her chest. 

“I promise,” she assured him. 

She thought she knew what he had planned. She hoped he would be okay with what might happen. He was licking one breast while his hand continued to caress and flick the other. Even before her pregnancy, Paige had very sensitive breasts. She often thought if a man paid enough attention to her breast she might come just from that. Now, though, it was like that sensitivity had been dialed up ten times its normal setting. She heard that some women could not bear to have their breasts touched in a sexual way while nursing, but she didn’t feel that way. If Walter hadn’t started there, she would have begged him to do it. 

Before long, Walter was flicking one nipple with his tongue and the other with his thumb. Then he slowly surrounded her nipple with his mouth, still licking and flicking, but now he was gently sucking as well and Paige thought she would hit the roof. Somewhere in the midst of her arousal she wondered that this action was so similar to what Amanda did several times a day and yet so different. 

“Are you okay?” Walter asked again, looking up and licking his lips. 

Paige nodded, feeling a bit breathless. “Are you?” she asked, noticing a small droplet on his chin. 

“I’m great!” he grinned. “It’s sweet. Not bad at all.”

Walter dipped his head again and began licking her other breast. With his hand, he reached down and tugged her panties, working one side down while Paige assisted with the other. She rose her hips off the bed to make the job easier. Then Walter began teasing his hand up her thighs to the thatch of hair between her legs. She opened her legs and he stroked one finger slowly up her slit. 

“Wait, Walter. Stop. Just a minute.”

Walter froze. “Are you okay?” he inquired for the third time. 

“Can you reach the drawer in the table on that side?” she asked, pointing across the bed. 

Walter stretched up and opened the drawer. He brought out a tube and waved it in front of his face. 

“Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked. 

“Yes,” Paige replied. Her face warmed and she wondered how she could be blushing over a tube of lube when she was sprawled naked underneath her husband. “It’s the hormones. I’m dry as a desert right now.” 

“Umm… what do I do with it?” 

Paige grinned. At least she wasn’t the only one blushing. “It’s gel so it doesn’t run. Just squeeze some about the size of a marble onto your fingertips. It’s cold, so I’d appreciate it if you rub it between your fingers first. Then you just go about doing what you were doing. Keep it handy…” she giggled, “… we might need more later on.”

Walter squeezed some onto his fingers, then brought his hand up to sniff. “Is it… is it okay to… to eat this stuff?” he asked. 

“Yes!” she said, her eyes widening. She wasn’t sure how comfortable Walter might be with her favorite form of foreplay. It was good to know he was game to give it a try. From their first time he’d been enthusiastic and also gifted. 

“Well, okay then.” He put a bit more on his fingers, rubbed them against his thumbs and returned to stroking her slit as his mouth returned to kiss the underside of her breast. 

Paige always felt a little greedy during this part of their lovemaking. Walter spent a good long time down where she was unable to reach more than his head. In the first weeks of their relationship, she had returned the favor a few times. But Walter finally told her that it was something he didn’t really care for. He told her that he simply preferred to be inside her when he came, and there was too much chance that he would not rebound well enough afterwards for that to happen. Since she really didn’t get much from the activity herself, she didn’t mind. Still, she always felt a little guilty when she would lie back and enjoy his attentions and could not reciprocate. Not guilty enough to ask him to stop, though.

Walter was on his way down, but he paused a moment to kiss her naval. That was another of her very sensitive areas and Walter knew that quite well. After lavishly kissing and licking the little hollow, he blew over it, making her shiver – but not from cold. 

When he was nearly at the bottom of her stomach, he glided further down, bypassing the area she wanted him to focus on. He kissed the inside of her thigh, nipping and sucking repeatedly, leaving pale marks and slowly moving back up until he was gazing lovingly at her core. He gently ran his nose up her slit, then stuck his tongue out, licking first one side, then the other. He continued this, sometimes licking the sides, sometimes straight up the center. Paige ached for him to get to the point. Walter, she discovered some time ago, was a terrible tease. She loved him for it, but damn he could drive her crazy!

Finally, he touched her clit with just the tip of his tongue, circled it, then gave it one little flick. Paige thought she remembered how good it felt, but the memory was nothing compared to the reality. Good God, how had she willingly gone for months without this? She squirmed on the bed and whimpered when he repeated the flick. Then he moved back down and licked slowly up the full length of her, ending with a rapid series of flutters that had her gripping the bedclothes and writhing.

Walter O’Brien knew what worked. But he also knew that variety was important. He repeated the long licks a couple more times, then, instead of doing the fluttering, he circled her clit several times. He wrapped his lips around her swollen nub and sucked, and Paige knew she was very, very close. 

It was then that Walter backed away and resumed kissing her thighs. Paige thought she would scream with frustration, but only managed a whimper. This was all part of Walter’s genius. He could bring her right to the brink and then back down, giving her a moment ease back. Then he would start over. After getting close to the precipice two or three times, she would fall hard and very fast. Getting there was frustrating beyond belief but the payoff was amazing. 

Walter resumed his attentions, licking her entrance in long, slow swipes as well as rapid strokes. Just when Paige was ready to direct him to the bull’s eye, he teased his tongue around it, stroked it with his flattened tongue and generally paid her clit all the attention it deserved. This time, however, he didn’t back away. He stroked and teased and sucked and kept it up. Paige was nearly in tears. She was so close and she just couldn’t seem to manage to let go. 

Finally, Walter paused and grabbed the lube. He squeezed a generous amount onto two fingers, using his other hand to coat them well. He resumed licking and sucking her clit and slowly inserted the two fingers into her entrance. He reached far up inside and stroked, sometimes moving out and then back in. With his other hand he reached up and stroked a nipple with his thumb. Paige had to hand it to him, he was determined and willing to use all his tricks. Just when she thought she was doomed to be hopelessly frustrated, Walter started rapidly flicking his tongue against her clit while his fingers and thumb stroked her in two different places at the same pace. She felt her muscles clench and then she felt the rippling, shattering sensation of her first orgasm in months. For a few moments, she soared, feeling the pulsing shockwaves through her abdomen and down further. She curled her toes and brought her knees up, pressing her feet down into the mattress. 

Walter was stroking her arm, helping her to ease down. She opened her eyes and saw the smug grin on his face. He always looked like he’d made some amazing discovery and she supposed that wasn’t far from the truth. She could allow him his little burst of ego, especially after a climax as amazing as that one. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

She almost laughed. For a genius, he could be remarkably unimaginative in his pillow talk. 

“I’m wonderful,” she purred. 

Walter lay his head down beside hers, then laid his arm across her middle and snuggled up close to her. “I love you so much,” he whispered. 

It was one of his special things that he always told her he loved her after **_she_** had an orgasm. Not waiting until after **_he_** came. She loved that he had this desire to cuddle before they continued. Once or twice, he’d fallen asleep while they snuggled, apparently unconcerned that he didn’t get his own release. The first time that happened, she was tempted to wake him, feeling terrible. But he was so obviously content, she resisted the urge and fell asleep herself. When they woke the next morning, he kissed her and commented how wonderful the previous night was. She asked him how he could feel that way, under the circumstances. He looked at her curiously and told her that watching her pleasure was as wonderful for him as attaining his own was. Sometimes so much so that he didn’t think he could bear any more and just wanted to enjoy the feeling and drift off to sleep. 

When Walter began kissing her shoulder, Paige knew this wouldn’t be one of those times. She was glad. As much as she had missed their intimacy, she was sure he must have missed it as badly. He needed this as much as she did. 

“Paige, did you happen to bring… umm… condoms?”

“Same drawer,” she answered. 

“Good. How many?”

Paige laughed. “I bought a box of thirty. Will that be enough?”

“Maybe.”

Paige giggled and turned over, scooting down until they were face to face. “Do you plan on doing this until I can’t walk?”

“I plan on doing this until neither of us can walk.” He hesitated, then added. “Only as long as it’s… it’s okay for you.”

“It’s okay, Walter. I promised to tell you if things get uncomfortable, and I will. So far, so good. So very, _very_ good!”

“Good. Since I’ve been doing all the work so far, do you think you’re up to a little riding?” he grinned.

“I think I can manage to get back in the saddle,” she replied. 

Walter reached over and rummaged in the still open drawer, bringing out the box of condoms. He opened the box and took out one of the foil-wrapped packages. 

“Here,” she said as she grabbed it from him. “I can do that, since you’ve been working so hard.”

She opened the package and scooted down further. She stopped, realizing what she planned might not be something he would appreciate. 

“Walter, I know why you told me you don’t like me to go down on you, but is that the only reason?”

“Yes. That’s the only reason. I just prefer to be inside you. Why?”

Paige looked up at him from where she was kneeling between his legs. “Because I’ve always wanted to try something, but I don’t want it to be something… something you don’t like.”

“Umm… okay. I’ll let you know if it’s… if it’s not okay.”

Paige popped the condom in her mouth, then leaned over, tossing her hair back across one shoulder. She took his erection in her hand, then placed her mouth on its tip. She’d seen this done on an online video, and it seemed simple. Now that she was here, though, she wasn’t quite sure how it was supposed to work. But she figured the worst that would happen is they would waste one condom. They had plenty. 

She placed her tongue on the tip of his cock, holding the condom flat against it. Walter groaned. Paige wondered just how close he was. She maneuvered her lips around the ring of the condom and started to move down, taking him into her mouth as she tried to unroll the condom at the same time. It was difficult to get it started, but finally, she felt the latex unroll as she moved slowly down. She didn’t think she could go far enough to completely unroll the thing, and decided she could finish the job with her hand. She opened her mouth and came back up, looking down to see the condom rolled about an inch down. As she and Walter both watched, the condom slowly rolled itself back up to the head of his shaft and unceremoniously popped off. 

Walter sputtered. Then he chuckled. Then he started to laugh. Then he was rolling over, laughing and snorting. Paige sat back on her heels and laughed, too. 

“Do you… do you mind…” Walter wheezed, breathing in gasps as he tried to stop laughing. “Do you mind if we do that a more conventional way? It’s not that I’m averse to you practicing, but… it has been a long time and I’d like to… to… make love to you… while it’s still our anniversary.”

“Our…. Oh My God, Walter! I completely forgot!”

“You forgot? I thought that was what this… the hotel… all this was about!”

“No… I just couldn’t figure out any other way for us to have enough time and privacy. I’ve completely lost track of dates. I’m so sorry, I didn’t get you anything! I’m a terrible wife!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Walter sat up and gathered her in his arms. “Even if you forgot, all this has been wonderful. It’s the perfect anniversary gift and I love you for it. I’m just worried about the poor guy from Escala who delivered our dinner tonight only there was nobody home.”

“Oh, Walter! You didn’t.”

Walter smiled at her, sheepishly. “I thought you would like having a nice dinner, but I didn’t think you were ready to have anyone look after Amanda. I guess I was wrong. About the Amanda part.”

“Walter. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Paige put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him, doing her best to put all her love into the kiss. This man never ceased to amaze her. He was usually very practical but occasionally, he could knock her sideways with a romantic gesture. 

The kiss deepened and Walter put his hands under her rear, scooting her up onto his thighs until she was within inches of his cock. She wrapped a hand around him, and rose up a bit on her knees, ready to guide him to her entrance when Walter stopped her. 

“Wait,” he said raggedly. “The condom.”

Paige sank back and began to rummage through the sheets. “Where did you put the box?” she asked. 

“I put it down. I don’t… I didn’t really notice where.”

They both started looking frantically through the bed, until finally Paige held a hand up, triumphantly waving the box. She quickly took out another package, opened it and deftly rolled the condom onto her husband’s cock. 

“Whew,” she cried. “I’m glad that’s covered.”

“Right,” he said, eyeing her suspiciously. 

“Now, where were we,” she quipped. 

“You were somewhere about…. here,” he said, pulling her back into position. 

Paige reached down again and took him into her hand. She spied the tube and grabbed it, squeezing a generous amount into her palm and slathering it over the condom. Leaning forward, she rose up, sucking in a gasp as Walter wrapped his lips around a convenient nipple. She eased down, gasping again at the unfamiliar feeling of fullness. She started by simply rocking back and forth, then added in a slight up and down movement. It was that motion that caused Walter to tease her about “riding” him. The back and forth, up and down motion was similar, he said, to that made by wannabe rodeo riders on bull riding machines. Paige couldn’t imagine where or when Walter might have seen such a thing. But on occasion she would play into his teasing by throwing one arm up in the air and even whopping. 

Walter was holding her tightly against him, sucking and licking her breast while she moved on him. After a few moments, he let her go, leaning back and looking down to the point where they were joined. Paige continued to move, trying to increase her speed as her leg muscles began to complain. She leaned forward and braced her arms on either side of Walter’s hips, easing the strain on her leg muscles. Using her arms for leverage, she was better able to rise up and down. Walter groaned. Paige varied her movements, pumping up and down for a while, then rocking forward and back. The forward and back motion was better for her, as his shaft would brush her clit and stroke her at just the right angle. The up and down, she thought, was better for him. 

Despite all her exercises, Paige was sadly out of shape, at least for this. In the early days of their relationship, she could easily do this until they finished. Her calf and thigh muscles were seriously complaining and she was worried that if she did this much longer she would get a cramp. That would bring things to a very premature halt. 

“I’m sorry, Walter,” she said as she stopped and eased off his legs. “I just don’t have the strength in my legs that I used to. I can’t do this all the way.”

“I’m sorry,” Walter responded. “I should have realized you might not be up for this. Do you want to just stop all together?” 

Paige massaged her aching thighs. “No, no. I’ll be fine. Just - can you finish for us?”

“Sure. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Paige smiled down at him. Her legs were feeling better now that she wasn’t bouncing up and down. She lay down and snuggled up next to him, placing a kiss on his collar bone. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Walter rolled over and kissed her, then moved over her. He positioned himself at her entrance, and glided in. Then he began to thrust. Paige enjoyed the sensation of being filled, especially when Walter was a little forceful. She also liked the traditional position, at least some of the time, because Walter was able to kiss her, which enhanced her enjoyment significantly. He was kissing her now, slowly pulling out then thrusting back in while his mouth and tongue worked magic. Paige felt the familiar tension building. It intensified when Walter started thumbing her nipple. She was so incredibly sensitive and the combination of stimulation in three different places was driving her quickly back to the edge. Now it was just a question of which one of them would arrive first. 

Walter moved to kiss the side of her mouth, then trail kisses along her cheek. “You are so… amazingly… beautiful,” he whispered. He moved the hand that had been occupied with her breast back down beside her, keeping his weight evenly distributed as he sped up his movement. Paige missed his kisses and the jolting sensations created when he caressed her nipple, but the increased friction he was able to generate almost made up for the loss. Walter was braced above her now, his eyes smoldering as he gazed at her. She licked her own fingers, then reached down to massage her clit. She was so close and that extra bit was all it took to make her dissolve, her body shuddering. She heard herself call Walter’s name, and she could feel her muscles tensing and releasing. 

A moment later, Walter closed his eyes and stilled. “Paige!” he breathed, then slowly lowered himself, moving to the side at the last moment. He curled up next to her, taking her hand and linking his fingers with his. Paige turned slightly until they were face to face. Walter opened his eyes and blinked a few times, then closed the gap between them to lightly kiss her. “I have missed this,” he admitted. 

“I have to,” she agreed, sighing. 

“I… don’t think I can move for a few minutes. But when I’m able to… should we get something to eat? I’m starving.” 

Walter’s hopeful look was hard to resist and Paige was glad she’d thought ahead. Often, with Walter, when one appetite was gratified, the other one kicked into high gear. 

“I’ve got that covered,” she said, nuzzling his neck and taking a small nip, as if to indicate she was hungry, too. “I had room service bring up some food for us, and I even brought a special treat for you.”

“I sort of think I just got my special treat, but what else did you bring?” Walter asked. 

“Fermented fish!”

* * *

August 20, 2016

* * *


End file.
